Two Weeks' Plans
I'm currently planning and generally preparing for two trips I have coming up. One to Tokyo and one to Matsue.
Tokyo, besides being the capital of Japan, is also home to the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum. Well, technically, that's in Shin-Yokohama, but it's all part of the Greater Tokyo Metropolitan Area, but that's like the difference between Seattle, Renton, Tukwila, and the rest of Western Washington. It's all kind of one big urbana.
The main reason I want to visit Tokyo, however, is Akihabara. While KMD may think that it's Swahili, it's actually like Mecca for geeks. Imagine an entire area of town that's basically a big Radio Shack. Blocks on blocks of camera gear, various electronics, games, anime, and all kinds of a things otaku. Sounds fun, right?
I would normally not be able to afford this at all, but a graduate student who is the son of one of my teachers has offered to let me stay at his apartment and show me around.
I was talking to Sara yesterday while she was trying to find hotel reservations and she's looking at about $950 US for five days' stay. Not too outrageous, but that's double the amount of money sitting in my bank right now and doesn't include the two-person, two-way Shinkansen tickets, which are $110 each way if you get the student discount. Normal tickets are $135 or so, but they're both students, so figure an extra $450 for transportation.
You can see why I think they're rich.
Matsue is the place I was originally going to do my study abroad. It's the largest city in the Shimane prefecture, and home to Shimane University and Shimane Junior University, where Yoko KODAMA (a teacher of mine from a year or so ago) works. I've got some friends in the area, too, and hope to visit them.
Transportation to Matsue is roughly equivalent with transportation to Tokyo, but I'm told there are really cheap hotels you can stay at in Matsue.
Anyway, that all starts on the 27th of this month, which is three days from now, but somehow feels like more than that.
Tokyo, besides being the capital of Japan, is also home to the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum. Well, technically, that's in Shin-Yokohama, but it's all part of the Greater Tokyo Metropolitan Area, but that's like the difference between Seattle, Renton, Tukwila, and the rest of Western Washington. It's all kind of one big urbana.
The main reason I want to visit Tokyo, however, is Akihabara. While KMD may think that it's Swahili, it's actually like Mecca for geeks. Imagine an entire area of town that's basically a big Radio Shack. Blocks on blocks of camera gear, various electronics, games, anime, and all kinds of a things otaku. Sounds fun, right?
I would normally not be able to afford this at all, but a graduate student who is the son of one of my teachers has offered to let me stay at his apartment and show me around.
I was talking to Sara yesterday while she was trying to find hotel reservations and she's looking at about $950 US for five days' stay. Not too outrageous, but that's double the amount of money sitting in my bank right now and doesn't include the two-person, two-way Shinkansen tickets, which are $110 each way if you get the student discount. Normal tickets are $135 or so, but they're both students, so figure an extra $450 for transportation.
You can see why I think they're rich.
Matsue is the place I was originally going to do my study abroad. It's the largest city in the Shimane prefecture, and home to Shimane University and Shimane Junior University, where Yoko KODAMA (a teacher of mine from a year or so ago) works. I've got some friends in the area, too, and hope to visit them.
Transportation to Matsue is roughly equivalent with transportation to Tokyo, but I'm told there are really cheap hotels you can stay at in Matsue.
Anyway, that all starts on the 27th of this month, which is three days from now, but somehow feels like more than that.
Labels: adventuring, plans
posted by William at
8/23/2008 02:36:00 PM
3 Comments:
Sounds like you'll have a nice time.
Hopefully. I'm not certain how much random wandering I can really do in Akihabara, all things considered. I still have to buy food once I come back, and I have about $500 to do that, buy transportation, and everything. So I can't really buy anything cool while I'm there, even if there are really good deals, which there will be.
Still, it's the going there that counts. I'll just find something small and Akihabara-esque. A red leaf?
Well, good luck and nice times to you. :)
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